Improvement in life-preserving jackets



T. RICHARDS.

Life-Preserving Jacket.-

Patented Aug. 10,1875.

INVENTOB WITNESSES WWz W @466 MFETERS, PHoTU-uTHnRAPMgR. WASHINGTON, n. c v

NITED STATES 5' elon.

IMPROVEMENT IN LIFE-PRESERVING JACKETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,477, dated August 10, 1875; application filed I May 1, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMASRICHARDS, of Cleveland, in the county of Ouyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Life-Preserver, .of which the following is a specification In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved life-preserver, and Fig. 2 a vertical central section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of my invention is to furnish a life-preserving jacket which floats the body completely and leaves the limbs free for use.

The invention consists of a double vest or jacket, which is filled with cork pieces of suitable size, stitched onto a separate intermediate piece of lining. The jacket is firmly applied to the body by tongues and buckles, or other suitable fastening devices.

In the drawing, A represents my life-preserving jacket or vest, which is made to fit the chest, and without sleeves, to leave the arms free for use. The jacket is constructed of an inner and outer layer, B, of suitable fabric, which are strongly connected to inclose an interposed layer, 0, of cork pieces of rectangular or other suitable size, which are placed on a piece of fabric, D, and stitched thereon, so as to form a yielding yet firm filling for the jacket. The intermediate piece D may be stitched at suitable places to the outer layers of the jacket, so as to give steadiness to the whole. The jacket is applied by tongues and buckles, buttons, or other suitable fastenings,

E, around the chest, and is sufficient to float the body, leaving the limbs perfectly free and unobstructed.

The advantages of attaching the corks to a third piece of fabric placed between the inside and outside pieces are, first, that the intermediate piece with the corks can be withdrawn from or inserted in the garment when requisite for repairs or any other purpose. The intermediate piece also serves as re-enforcing material, and is protected from accidents whereby the fabric would be severed from the cork if attached to the exterior piece, and thereby displace it and render the garment unsafe from such derangement; second, the inside fabric forms a hinge between the cork sections, which allows the corks to fold up and bend around the body without any drawing or stretching of the exterior fabric, and thus cause the fabric to tear at such points.

To remove and insert the intermediate piece with the corks, the lower edge of the garment can be left free and secured by tape strings or any other convenient method of fastening, and the intermediate piece need not be stitched to the exterior, as before described.

Having thus described myinvention, lclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcut- A life-preserving jacket provided with an intermediate piece of fabric, to which is attached the sections of cork, substantially as and for the purposes described.

' THOMAS RICHARDS. Witnesses: Ocrro Moor, JOHN H. BEATTIE. 

